With the local election looming, Austin is taking notice of some of the real issue candidates running in the race, but not for the reasons you might expect. KUT News rounded up what it called “The Five Weirdest Austin Election Commercials.” But while most were odd for catching awkward acting moments or cheesy scripted lines, a video supporting Laura Pressley for Place 2 City Council was labeled “weird” because it was made by a unique individual making an effort.

David P. Griffin explains proudly at the end of the ad that he won the lottery and used his winnings to buy gear and produce the ad because he believed in exposing what he considers to be blatant hypocrisy in councilman Mike Martinez. He suggests that Martinez ruled in favor of zoning out “McMansion” properties from building next to older homes and driving down the value, yet is the proud owner of a McMansion positioned next to small, now worthless old homes. Clearly, this stinks badly of Agenda 21. “Laws are for other people,” Griffin mockingly titles the ad, which features classic slow motion footage of the councilman, and offers instead that there is a better choice: Laura Pressley.

But Griffin isn’t odd, it was just considered “weird” that someone made the effort to deal with a real issue from a grassroots level. And he has many other efforts as well. And while he’s unique, his efforts are not as isolated as the system would like. Griffin makes a valid argument and is a shining example of using activism to get out a message and effect change. But others are doing similar things too– all over the place. (And nobody these days needs lotto payola to buy a camera and create their own videos.)

But real patriots who understand the system that has consumed us are cropping up everywhere. The viral Ron Paul campaign is an element of it, but it is much bigger than that. People are moving in their area to peacefully take back our government by forcing important issues out in the open.

Pressley’s campaign is hinged, in large part, on her opposition to water fluoridation and other key issues. Her candidacy rose out of ongoing activism efforts she and others undertook to urge the end of fluoride dosing in Austin. She appeared on the Alex Jones Show, April 27, 2012: